A rainy rock-n-roll weekend

The weather in Homer has taken a turn for the nasty the last few days, with freezing rain replacing the snow we got last week and making the streets (especially the steep side street we live on) slick and dangerous.

So what to do when winter gets oppressive? Well, turn to music, of course. 

I didn't get any pics of Three Legged Mule at the Down East on Thanksgiving weekend, which is probably a good thing as I got a wee bit tipsy with Nova and Uncle Dave, but I did take the camera to the Dan Bern show at Alice's on Thursday. 

I had never seen Dan before. He was great.

My homegirl Shannyn Moore drove down from A-town just for the show. Here she is with Dan and Marhall Crenshaw afterwards.

Saturday night it was Nova and my turn. I fired up the vocal amp and we took turns entertaining Otto and Alice.

Electric.

For those lucky few who have heard Nova sing, you know she's got wicked pipes and an innovative style. That, and her goulash, is why I married her.

And yes ... that IS duct tape holding the microphone together.

Otto (wearing one sock and no pants) was more interested in playing with Mommy's hair thingy, however. Heathen.

Election night wrap-up (with new photos)

OK, I'll admit it ... when I was at Alice's Tuesday night, snapping photos and taking interviews, I had to stop for a moment when MSNBC called the election for Barack Obama. I put my notebook and camera down and just soaked it in for a minute.

It was intense, the feeling that a tide has turned in this country ... that we as Americans have embraced something new and taken a bold step into uncharted territory. It's been said a million times in the last couple of days, but it's true: this was an historic moment. At Alice's, filled to capacity with Obama supporters, there were tears, hugs and yelling and screaming.

It was pretty cool. Here's the full story.

And here are a few photos ...

Frani Scheffel makes a few last minute "get out the vote" calls at Democratic Party HQ on Election Day.

Amy Christiansen makes her voice heard across Pioneer Avenue from a McCain/Palin rally.

11-year-old McCain supporter Trevor Luchaco and his buddy Dakota Alward (left) shout, "Don't be insane! Vote for McCain!" at passers-by on Pioneer Avenue.

Alice's was the place to be Tuesday night for Obama supporters. Here they are, waitng ... waiting ... waiting ...

"Barack Obama elected president"

I didn't get these folks' names, but they were pretty representative of what was gong on at Alice's - tears and hugs all around. What a night.

Here we go ...

This day has been coming for a long time and it feels as historic as it's been billed.

I'm going to be putting in a long, long day today, covering the Alderfer-Seaton race, local Democrats at their Ocean Drive HQ and the reaction at Alice's Champagne Palace later tonight. I won't be able to blog until tomorrow, probably, but I wanted to at least post a link to the City of Homer's election page, in case some of you need some last-minute election information.

Now get out there and vote.